Sacramento County inmate-trained mustangs to go up for adoption

Wild horses trained by inmates at Sacramento County’s Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center will be up for adoption later this month in Rancho Murieta.

The nine mares are halter-trained and “saddle-started,” according to the Bureau of Land Management.

The adoption program gets underway at 9 a.m. Aug 22 at the Murieta Equestrian Center, 7200 Lone Pine Drive, allowing potential horse owners to get a good look at the steeds. A mustang presentation starts at 11 a.m, followed by the noon auction.

“We are really pleased with how far these mares have come,” said Joe Misner, manager of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department’s wild horse training program. “They will be great companions for anyone who loves horses.”

The BLM brought the horses from wild herds so that rangeland would not be over-foraged. The inmates then worked with the 3- and 4-year-old mares.

This story was originally published August 12, 2015 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Sacramento County inmate-trained mustangs to go up for adoption."